Fist Full of Prayers
by Aiko Rin Sayuri
Summary: When Labrador sees a vision of the fall of all seven ghosts, a plan is made to evacuate Teito. But as they say, sometimes, the things you do to avoid a prophecy brings the fate on yourself. Freito and CastLab. Shounen-ai
1. Damn Perverted Frau

**Many, many thanks to the birth of this fanfiction! First of all, my brave beta-reader TheSnarkyAuthor who has struggled (goodness knows how hard) to help me with this one chapter! Second to all my friends who have started this anime. And third to Miyako Sora Kaori whom I owe my life to!**

**Disclaimer: I'm writing fanfiction so I obviously do not own this. The cover image was taken from chapter 39.2 of the manga (around page 17) and I coloured it using Paint (doing a great job as you can see…)**

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**Chapter one: Damn perverted Frau**

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There was nothing extraordinary about him to look at, so Frau did not understand why so many girls would launch themselves at Teito squealing about how cute he was. Sure, the kid had a pretty face with eyes to match and he had a nice body too. But that was NOT to say that Frau liked him. No, Frau certainly did not like him and there was no way that he was jealous… Okay, maybe he was a little jealous that Teito was attracting girls when he hadn't even hit puberty yet. So on that day, as Frau climbed out of his coffin, ready for the day to begin, he was determined to teach Teito the facts of life and about the wonderful parts of a woman so that he could fully appreciate it too.

Ripping off a floorboard Frau reached underneath for his secret stash. He finally found the one he was looking for; the super rare magazine featuring many pictures of his favourite models. He sighed with pleasure as he opened the magazine and then again with not-so-much pleasure as he realised that if all went well, at the end of the day, this would no longer belong to him but instead would be in the brat's possession.

But enough of that, Frau picked up a stack of books and tucked the magazine into the middle of them so that anyone who glanced at him would not notice it. He knew that the brat had cleaning duty that morning and so, after kicking the floorboard back into place; Frau left the room to find him.

Teito was easy to locate; Frau soon found him sweeping the corridor near the guest rooms with Mikage sitting on the wall watching him.

"Oi, brat!"

Teito looked up from his work and frowned. "Good morning to you too, damn perverted Frau."

"Don't be like that; I have a present for you." Frau almost whined. "Aren't you going to see what it is? You'll like it." Without waiting for an answer, he grabbed Teito by the arm and pulled him away leaving Mikage yelping indignantly on the wall.

"Hey! Don't just… I have cleaning duty! And I am quite certain that anything _you _consider great will be somewhere on the bottom of my 'favourite things' list." Frau ignored the boy and continued to drag Teito until they reached an abandoned room on the second floor.

"Now then, it has been brought to my concern that despite not having hit puberty-" Teito opened his mouth angrily at this but Frau skilfully interrupted him. "- You have attracted many of the opposite gender. I feel that it is my duty, as your friend and superior to teach you these facts of life." Having reached the end of this speech, Frau brought out the porn magazine with a flourish and shoved it in front of Teito's face. "This is an extremely rare edition. I hope that you will enjoy this. Now…" Frau opened the magazine. "Look closely at the pictures and focus on them. Concentrate on the wonderful images and…"

"Enough!" Teito hurriedly pushed the magazine away, unable to hide his blush. "I am not interested in this kind of thing! I do not wish to spend my days turning into some kind of drooling pervert gazing at porn! You damn-"

He was interrupted by a sudden knock on the door.

"Teito-kun? Are you in there? You left your cleaning duty unfinished which is most unlike you. Are you feeling alright?"

Castor! Frau hastily stowed the magazine into his robes and picked up one of the books pretending to read it. Teito quickly retreated onto the balcony of the room and hid behind the curtain, hoping that Castor would not notice him. As he tucked himself away, he heard the door being opened.

"Ah… Frau, have you seen Teito-kun? I could have sworn that I heard his voice coming from this room."

"I have most certainly not seen the brat this morning."

"Really?" Castor sounded extremely unconvinced. "Because Mikage seems to think otherwise.

Besides, what are you doing in a guest room anyway?"

"I was… Er…"

"And why are the curtains drawn? Keeping the sun out today; you'd think that the inhabitants of the church are vampires."

The footsteps drew nearer to the curtain. Teito cringed further and further away from the entrance onto the balcony until he was sitting on the wall. Mercifully, they soon stopped.

"Frau, what is that hanging out of your sleeve?"

"It's…"

There was the sound of scuffling and a few thumps.

"I see! So this is what you were doing. Now, what to do with this… I could burn this… I could rip this into pieces; I could feed it to the Hawkziles… Oho… The endless possibilities."

Another scuffle was heard, followed immediately by a flying magazine and Frau who dived to save his precious porn. Unfortunately, Teito was knocked backwards in the confusion and plunged to the ground below.

He had never fallen like this before; it was a shorter fall than when he had fallen from his Hawkzile but this time he still had to consider that he was falling into Labrador's rose garden. Heaven forbid should he fall into any of Labrador's beloved bushes. Teito closed his eyes and braced himself for impact. And he waited.

Gingerly he opened his eyes to find himself completely unscathed and sitting on something soft. He looked down. The something soft was Frau.

"Urgh… Stupid brat falling like that and forcing me to save you yet again. You're no pixie either. Hey, aren't you going to get off now?"

Blushing, Teito hurriedly rose and stood awkwardly as Frau brushed himself down.

"Why did you do it?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you jump after me like that? It's not like I was going to die or anything."

Frau scratched the back of his head as if in deep thought. "Did you want to end up in a hospital, brat?"

"No, but…"

"Then there."

He huffed and picked up the magazine which lay on a bush. "Sheesh, all of this when I wanted to show you the joys of being a man too. Anyway, don't you have cleaning duty to get back to?"

Teito's blush worsened a shade. "It was your fault in the first place, perverted bishop. Don't ever do that again. I'd rather it was me who ended up in hospital than anyone I care about."

The he left Frau to interpret those words as he wished.

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**Any grammatical, punctuation and spelling errors are my fault entirely. My beta-reader has trawled through this with a sieve so any mistakes are the ones which I have left in (because I'm too lazy to change them). Also please bear in mind that I am from England where the spelling is supremely weird.**

**Anyway, hope to see you soon with my next chapter!**


	2. Fall of the Seven Ghosts

**Thank you again to my wonderful beta-reader, who has fixed this mess into something vaguely readable. Kaori-chan whom, if she was ever torn apart by rampaging monsters, I would not hesitate to spend hours fixing her with sellotape, Ebi-sensei who brightens up my life with her awful puns and Maiko-sama who is vaguely sane, all have my thanks. And you! Everyone who has reviewed, read, favourited or followed me/ this fanfiction have my infinite thanks!**

**This chapter is dedicated to everyone who feels that they had failed their language oral exams. (Especially to Maiko-chan who ended up shaking the examiner's hand for reasons unknown…)**

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**Chapter two: Fall of the Seven Ghosts**

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For those who did not know Ayanami well, he was a cold hearted, uncaring bastard and he liked it that way. He did not see why he had to justify his actions to anyone; after all, he doubted whether anyone would have fared better under his conditions. He was the reincarnation of the most powerful God of Death, Verloren, who had been shunned and mocked by the Chief of Heaven for looking for the one he loved the most. Twice, he'd been so close in possessing the Eye of Mikhail and both times, his _replica_ of all things had rescued the boy from him.

And his dreams; those were the worst of all. There was not one night he went without dreaming of his dead lover. He didn't want to dream, or even sleep and so most nights he worked in his office, plotting; how to take over the military, how to acquire the Eye of Mikhail and how to get rid of his replicas. These thoughts helped him forget about her and the hard work resulted in his rapid promotion. Killing two birds with one stone. Easy.

In order to take the Eye of Mikhail, Teito Klein would be needed and the boy was just so _elusive_. There really was no other word for it. And speaking of the boy… How many meetings have they called about him now? Five? Seven? _Fifteen_? More than Ayanami cared to remember anyway… But this one… There was a different mood to this one; a rather optimistic mood but the air was full of fear, he could taste it.

"Ayanami-kun, it has been five months since the initial escape of Teito Klein, formerly Prisoner 2741. Have you any further strategies to call him back to our side? There will be opportunities lost if he does not return. After all, that boy was the best sklave I have ever taught."

"Miroku-sama, I apologize deeply but if you just give me another month-"

"Overruled. You have had five months and no results. I think it is finally time for the master to discipline its stubborn pet, hmm."

Ayanami stiffened slightly, a gesture that no one but his subordinates behind him noticed. Realizing that there was no way he could persuade the old man to hand the case back over to him, he sat resigned and the subject of the ridicule of his peers.

* * *

Teito was fully prepared to collapse on his bed as soon as he reached the dormitory. He couldn't because Hakuren was sitting on it. The little pink Fyulong flung himself on Teito, overjoyed that his friend was unhurt.

"I've been expecting you to come back covered in wounds, fractures and bruises from the state Mikage arrived in."

Teito offered Hakuren a tight smile. "Sorry."

"So you should be." Hakuren's expression softened as Teito remained tensed up in the corner of the bed. "Hey, are you alright? And don't say fine," he added quickly seeing Teito open his mouth.

Teito smiled properly at that.

"I really am fine, just…" He trailed off, losing focus.

"Just…" Hakuren prompted gently.

"Frau's being annoying again," the boy grumbled. Hakuren smiled; Teito obviously had no idea how adorable he looked at the moment and seeing as he wasn't suicidal, he wasn't going to inform his friend anytime soon. Instead he put his arm around the younger boy.

"Hey!" There was the usual protest.

"You know, all this time, you've been trying to grow up so fast and still you're as cute and naïve as if you were still a little child." Hakuren earned a growl at that comment. "You've still got a long way to go, Teito, but remember that you're not alone anymore and you never will be again. And besides, what's so bad about being young anyway? Youths today don't know what they have…"

"Hakuren, you sound like an old man." Teito struggled out of the older boy's grip. "And besides, I don't see how that long speech was going to fix the problem of Frau being annoying."

Hakuren sighed. "I guess what I'm trying to say is…" He paused. "Name three things which you find annoying about Bishop Frau."

"Huh?" said Teito, intelligently, thrown by the sudden request. Hakuren looked at him expectantly.

"He's a porn loving pervert who hits on every woman he sees. Er… He's overly protective of me. Umm… He… umm… He teases me all the time."

"OK, here's what I think is going on. One, you're annoyed at him when he reads porn and flirts because you're jealous."

"What?! Hakuren you…"

"Number two," continued Hakuren loudly. "He's overly protective of you because he doesn't want you to be hurt." Teito had fallen silent by now. "And finally, he teases you because it's how Bishop Frau expresses his affection."

"Are you done?"

"Yup."

Teito shoved Hakuren onto the floor.

"Hey!"

"Idiot; like any of that was true."

Hakuren shook his head in despair. "If this is what I get for helping a short moody kid, then remind me never to help again."

* * *

Labrador was talking to his flowers again. Ouida had managed to persuade Labrador to stay indoors (due to the rain which may affect a human's health) and so he was conversing with a vase full of snapdragons and wolfsbane. He hardly looked up when Frau stumbled into the room, complaining about something or another but when Castor entered a few minutes later, the flowers ceased their previous whispering immediately.

_Castor… Castor…_They said, pleased with the blush they were creating.

"Hush," Labrador reproached them. "Tell me more about what's coming in a few weeks' time."

He was oblivious to the argument which had begun (between Castor and Frau of course), so immersed was he in the language of the flowers.

"You do nothing except read porn every day! No wonder your intelligence level rivals that of a slug!"

"Excuse me? I'm not the one who's totally dense to their crush's feelings."

"And of course you know everything which your crush is thinking and that's why you never upset him or hurt him."

"Four-eyed doll freak."

"Moronic pervert."

There was a crash which sent all gazes flying towards Labrador who had dropped the vase in his hands. Labrador who was so graceful that he had been envied by the narcissistic Lance. Labrador who was never scared of anything was _shaking._

Castor grabbed hold of Labrador's shoulders and shook him gently. "Lab! What can you see? Tell us!"

There was no sound in the room, as everyone strained to hear the purple haired bishop's answer.

"C-Castor... There will be a fight and at the end of the fight…" By now, Labrador was trembling and hiding his face. His voice had died down to a whisper so Frau had to lean in to hear what Labrador was saying. "At the end of the fight, all of the Seven Ghosts will no longer exist."

There was a brief silence as both of them tried to take in the full force of Labrador's words. All of them? Devoured by Verloren? Frau did not want to accept this but Labrador's prophecies always came true.

"Lab, I swear to God, right here in his church, that if you are messing around, I will kill you." The words came out without having been properly thought through and Frau instantly regretted them the moment he spoke them. Labrador flinched at the threat, his normal mild-mannered smile absent in the face of fear, both from the vision and from Frau's threat.

"Frau, you idiot! Does it look like Lab's lying to you?" Castor released the violet haired man and jerked Frau forwards by his collar.

"Stay out of this, doll freak. We all know that you're only defending him because you have a crush on him!"

Castor coloured a little. "So what if I do? It's not like I haven't seen how you look at Teito-kun," he spat back.

"What goes on between me and the brat has absolutely nothing to do with you, four-eyes."

"And the same goes for me and Lab."

The two bishops glared at each other, each resenting the other for broadcasting their love life.

"Is this really your main focus now? Surely you should be worrying about what will happen after Verloren devours you?" All three of them turned to see the Archbishop who had entered the room.

"How much time is there left?" he asked.

"Two weeks, and then it will be over."

"We cannot allow the Imperial Army to lay a hand on Teito Klein; we must evacuate him and hide him at all costs. Frau, you must inform Teito-kun of the situation immediately and leave the seventh district tonight."

There were no arguments; the blond was extremely anxious to keep the boy safe, after all. Tight lipped smiles were offered all around and nods. Even Castor put aside the argument they had started only three minutes ago to wish Frau the best of luck.

Without even saying anything, they knew that the centre of all this was Wahrheit Tiashe Raggs.

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**Notes:**

**Snapdragon: **Protection against bad intentions

**Wolfsbane: **"Beware, the enemy is close."

**Yeah… I'm turning into Lab…**

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**Dafuq have I actually written? What is wrong with me? *bangs head repeatedly on the table***

**Haha, I think I was the only candidate who had to restart their French oral exam before they'd said a word. Why? I kind of knocked over the microphone…**

**Aiko Rin Sayuri (the sloth)**


	3. It was a joke

**Before I lose my motivation, chapter three, here I come!**

**My thanks go (yet again) to TheSnarkyAuthor, Kaori-chan, Ebi-sensei and Maiko-chan. You have all been amazing friends to me!**

**And you guys have been spectacular with the rate of response! Love you all xox**

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**Chapter three: It was a joke**

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Teito Klein was not in the mood to be disturbed, least of all by a perverted bishop who was always teasing him. So it was understandable that he immediately hid a huge tower of books as he saw said bishop gliding through the library (no doubt to look for more of his hidden porn).

Unfortunately, the magazine in question happened to have been hidden in one of the lower books in the stack. Teito was unable to suppress a surprised squeal as several books rained on top of him, almost crushing his small body.

"Oh, is that you, brat? I've been looking for you."

Muttering something rude under his breath, the boy stood up, shedding books like a tree shedding its leaves in autumn.

"Stupid Frau, couldn't you have at least looked before deciding to bury me alive beneath a pile of heavy reference books?"

"Well, how was I supposed to know why you were down there anyway? It's not like I expect midgets to hide upon seeing my good-looking face because they know that they can't compete."

"You-" The boy swung out at the laughing bishop but was so angry that he missed by several inches. "Damn, perverted, idiot, moronic, FRAU!" He managed to catch Frau in the jaw as he shouted the last few words (earning a disapproving look from the nun working in the library) then turned and prepared to storm out angrily.

"Hey, don't be like that." Frau reached out and grabbed the angry brunet by the arm, earning a snarl for his efforts. "OK, I'm sorry. Will you forgive me now? Only, we've got work to do." For once, the man actually sounded sincerely sorry.

"What's the job?" Teito stood warily; ready to run at the first sign of any of Frau's usual perverse nature.

"There has been an increased amount of Kor activity in district three, we have been summoned to go and help."

The bishops had unanimously agreed against telling Teito the real reason he would be traveling with Frau; they had known him long enough to know that the boy would rather hand himself over to the Army than to cause trouble on anyone else. Labrador was the only one with any doubts over the departure.

"Frau, you must be careful. Don't forget that we can only delay this for a certain amount of time; but after that the prophecy will come true regardless. Your main objective is to keep Teito-kun safe at all costs and-"

"I know Lab, I know!"

Looking slightly affronted, Labrador sighed. "I only hope that Teito-kun will come out of this alive."

Frau punched his friend lightly on the shoulder. "Don't worry, I promise that he'll be fine. I won't let anything happen." He was surprised when Labrador took his arm and pulled him into a hug.

"Umm… Lab?"

"Sorry," the violet haired man replied. "I just want to remember the feeling of being alive."

An embarrassed cough resounded through the corridor and Labrador hurriedly released the taller man.

"C-Castor?"

The brown haired man stood awkwardly in the corridor, hurt evident in his eyes. Without a word, the man turned and walked away. Labrador looked at the floor, guilt evident in his stance as he realised what it would have appeared like to the other man.

"Don't let go of Teito's hand, Frau. Good luck."

"You too, Lab."

* * *

The Hawkzile grumbled in protest as Frau forced it to travel at an even higher speed. Conversation had long ceased, the wind snatching away any words which may have been uttered. Teito was shivering, shielding Mikage from the worst by wrapping him in his jacket. He could no longer feel his fingers which were wrapped around the man's waist.

The rain poured down on them; what had started off as a simple shower had escalated into the worst thunderstorm which had Frau had ever ridden in. Cursing, he pulled the Hawkzile higher into the clouds, so that they would travel above the storm. His idea was brutally dashed as a lightning strike sparked only a few metres in front of them. Had they been travelling any faster, then they would have been cooked.

As it were, the Hawkzile panicked and took off screeching into the wood below, wings becoming ensnared in the tree trunks. Though Frau was an extremely talented rider, he could only watch in dismay as the Hawkzile rapidly lost altitude before eventually crash landing in the middle of the forest, pitching off its riders.

"Kid! Are you alright?"

Teito spat mud out of his mouth. "I'm fine, though I'm soaked and I'm afraid that Mikage may catch a cold."

"Worry about yourself before others! Sheesh, damn brat." Frau knelt by the unconscious Hawkzile. "Right, it looks like the Hawkzile can't go any further today so we may as well find shelter. We might as well sleep in a tree-" He suddenly realized that he was speaking to nothing. "Kid? Hey, Teito!"

"Stupid bishop; do you not know anything? It's dangerous to sleep in trees during a thunderstorm."

The voice had come from somewhere to the left and he turned to find Teito kneeling anxiously in the entrance of a cave. Dragging the Hawkzile after him, he sloshed towards the cave. The inside was relatively dry, albeit dark and reeked of fungus and growth.

"Move up then. We still have a Hawkzile to get in."

Teito shifted obligingly further into the cave. He could make out a few vague shapes near the entrance before the shuffling stopped abruptly and he heard Frau's heavy breathing nearby. There was the sound of rustling made by material before a cloak was dropped onto him.

"Wrap that around yourself or you'll get cold."

Obediently, the boy picked up the traveling cloak discarded by his companion.

"Won't you get cold, Frau?"

He chuckled. "I'm a corpse, kid; I can tolerate cold temperatures as long as I don't freeze." He moved slightly so that he could lie down and was surprised when he felt a warm hand on his arm.

"I thought we'd had this discussion before? In my world, you're alive."

Frau smiled. "I guess."

The moment was ruined as Teito shook the cloak out only to have half a dozen porn magazines fall out of various concealed pockets in the cloak. "FRAU!"

The man hurriedly gathered up his treasures on the floor. "Hey, kid, I want to ask you something. Are you interested in girls?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"So what type? Redheads? Brunettes? Blondes?"

"I don't know; it's not like I've had much experience with women."

"So, could it be that you like men?"

"Don't be stupid! What on earth are you saying?"

Frau grinned. "So repeating that question but with men. Redheads? Brunets?_ Blonds_?" he smiled teasingly. "Do you have a crush on me, even?"

Teito hoped that the darkness would hide his blush.

"I'm going to sleep."

"But you haven't answered my question yet! I want to know if you do have a crush on me."

"Shut up; I'm tired."

"So," even in the darkness, Teito could hear the smile in Frau's voice. "What if I did this?"

There was a rustle as Frau shifted towards him and pinned him down.

"What the hell do-"

All further protests were cut off as Frau kissed the boy on the lips. Teito tried to push the man away,

struggling like a wild animal but could not move the man on top of him. The kiss felt strange, though not wrong but he cringed away from it because it was unfamiliar.

"So? Have you made up your mind about liking men?"

"Go away."

With a shock, Teito noticed that he was crying. Frau obviously had realized something was wrong too because he let the boy go.

"Kid? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." He reached a hand towards Teito's face only to have it slapped away. "It was a joke, Teito."

"I hate you."

They lay in complete silence, listening only to each other's breathing and the sound of the rain falling onto the rocks above their head. Before long, Teito realized that there was a small pink presence missing and he felt around.

"Mikage?"

"What is it now, kid?"

Teito completely ignored the man and shrugged off the cloak. "Mikage?" The boy squeezed past the sleeping Hawzile and stood in the mouth of the cave. He looked in despair at the rain.

"Mikage!"

There was no reply, though Teito could hear some scuffling noises nearby. His heart heavy with dread at the thought of a large animal hurting his friend, he ran into the rain.

"Hey, brat! Come back! Don't just run off by yourself like that!" A pair of strong arms ensnared the boy and lifted him up. "Don't you know it's dangerous?" Teito continued to rage against the man.

"Dammit, Teito, the whole reason we're out here is because we need to keep you safe. I can't do that if you're going to rush off away from me at every opportunity." The boy froze at the last sentence.

"You said we were going to district three to exterminate Kor," he said accusingly. Frau would have thrown up his arms in despair had he not been keeping a hold on the boy.

"I'm sorry, OK? I'm sorry I lied to you; now can we please go back to the cave so that we can dry off?"

Teito kicked Frau in the shin as a way of answer, taking the man's distraction as a chance to run from him.

"Ouch, damned brat. That was unnecessary," he snapped.

"Burupya!" The sound distracted the pair of them from their fight.

"Mikage!"

The pink Fyulong was dangling sadly in a net, soaked and looking thoroughly miserable. The boy took a step forwards.

"Hang on, Mikage, I'm coming." He was surprised to be stopped by Frau's hand on his arm.

"Wait, Teito; it might be a trap."

"I've had enough of you for one day," Teito snarled. "You push me out of a window, then jump after me; you knock a tower of books over onto me, then call me an idiot; you drag me out here, then tell me everything you told me was a lie; you kiss me and tell me it was a joke and finally you're telling me to abandon my best friend."

Frau was astonished, to say the very least. He had not realized that Teito had been upset by any of his actions. The moment of silence was all the time Teito needed to take another step forwards, right onto a piece of rope which triggered a series of movements.

* * *

**Cliffhanger much :D**

**I will update as soon as my life allows.**

**Aiko Rin Sayuri. x**


	4. Clouds which laugh

**Thank you yet again to TheSnarkyAuthor who has continued to beta-read this fanfiction despite the poor quality of my writing. And of course to Kaori-chan, Ebi-sensei, Mei-chan and Yuu-chan for supporting me in my everyday life. Yes, I promise not send any more lemons to you via the school email. Gomen ne!**

**Thank you to everyone who has reviewed/ favourited/ followed this story. YOU'RE ALL AMAZING AND NOW I WILL KILL YOU WITH MY HUGS!**

* * *

**Chapter four: Clouds which laugh**

* * *

Labrador had fled to his room the moment they had been dismissed, tearing his arm from Castor's hand and ignoring whatever his fellow bishop had to say. He had never been so upset over anything before and he had a good reason as to why he was feeling that way. It wasn't like he hadn't known about Castor's crush on him, but it was as if some benign entity had possessed him and compelled him to hug Frau and wish him luck. Not even he would have foreseen that Castor would have been watching from the shadows.

Castor's look of devastation as he saw Frau embracing Labrador had made the purple haired bishop feel as if he were being hit repeatedly in the stomach with a sledgehammer. He wished that he could have taken the gesture back; he would have given anything to have hugged Castor instead of the blond.

A soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts.

"Labrador, are you in there?"

He kept silent, hoping and hoping that the person would go away.

"Look, Lab, I'm so sorry. I should have talked you right away. I'm not angry at you. I'm not annoyed at you at all." There was a movement of something being produced from his person. "OK, I get that you don't want to see my face, but I left something outside for you. Please, even if you hate me, I want you to have it."

There was the sound of retreating footsteps and Labrador remained quiet for a little longer. Finally, when he deemed the other man to be far away enough, he wrenched open the door. There was nothing there. He precariously took a step forwards and stopped as he stepped on something plant-like on the floor.

It was a red rose. Now smiling slightly, Labrador picked up the flower and inhaled the sweet scent. "Thank you, Castor," he breathed.

* * *

"Teito! Move!"

At first, nothing alarming had happened. The boy had remained still, alert and ready to move at the first sign of danger. But the Fyulong, as Frau had initially suspected, served as bait and after several tentative seconds, Teito had taken another step forwards, despite the man's pleas. That's when all hell had broken loose.

Unable to abandon his best friend, Teito hesitated a little too long despite the zaiphon which was traveling towards him. He stumbled backwards and it exploded at his feet where he had been standing only seconds ago. Instantly defensive, he pulled out his pocket Bascule and sent a few random shots with no target into the trees. The net holding Mikage fell, sending the Fyulong tumbling to the ground, still ensnared in his prison.

Another zaiphon shot towards him and this time, Teito was able to note with a shock that the zaiphon was in the language of Raggs.

"Who's there? Show yourself."

"We do not want to hurt you, so you should stay still and not resist your arrest, Teito Klein." The sentence had also been spoken in the language of Raggs. Frau was incredibly tense, shifting painstakingly slowly towards his partner ready to bring out the scythe if necessary.

"Yukinami? Is that you?"

"You do not have the right to question orders. You do not have the right to defy the will of Miroku-sama. You do not have the right to-" The list continued, still in the same language, without a hint of expression, giving it a bored, learned by heart quality. Teito stood, uncomprehending, listening to the sounds of his first language. Never had he felt negative feelings like this towards this language before. The language of Raggs had been spoken by all those who had tried to keep him safe. For the first time in his life, Teito was afraid of the words spoken in this language.

The speaker stepped forwards revealing a young man, only slightly older than Teito with an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face. It was as Teito had expected; Yukinami. His voice was monotonous and his eyes were slightly unfocused; though when they looked closely at him, they could see that there was a steely purple undertone to his irises, revealing this to be the work of the infamous chief of staff, Ayanami.

"He will not." The voice was quiet; Teito had rarely heard Frau assume this tone before, but it cut through the smooth recital and rendered the air silent. "He won't go, because I won't let him. I swear to God-" Frau's voice had begun to shake slightly, out of fear, anger or both, Teito could not tell. "I swear to God that I would rather die than hand Teito over to that bastard."

There was a complete silence which terrified both the bishop and his apprentice. Unnerved may have been a better word. Because, there is nothing scarier than when the madman goes quiet.

"Very well. Then I will have to use force."

Both sides stood still, tense and waiting for the other to move first. The rain had slowed somewhat to a drizzle but Frau was cold. He couldn't hold out for much longer; as it were, he had no idea if he would be able to fight properly. A zaiphon exploded, blasting a tree and leaving only its charred remains behind. He squeezed his eyes tightly shut; he really didn't want to use Verloren's scythe in this fight; what if he wasn't able to control it? What if it attacked Teito? And what if-

"Frau, stop spacing out; we're in the middle of a fight," the words had been muttered out of the corner of the boy's mouth. His eyes were focused entirely on the enemy and he had not let his guard down at all. Suddenly, the man felt ashamed for his inability to keep the boy out of trouble and his over anxious thoughts. "Don't worry." A brief smile was offered. "I won't be reckless."

That was all there was time for before a volley of attacks sent both scrambling for cover. After avoiding a few more seemingly random attacks, Frau noticed that there were not more attacks coming his way. Frau also noticed with a thrill of horror that the brat was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, kid! Teito! Where are you? Answer me!"

A cry of pain shot through the air and even though Frau had no means to detect the boy's exact location, he knew that it was Teito.

"Teito!" The man crashed through the undergrowth, no longer caring if anyone could hear him. To hell with them; if he lost that kid… If he lost that kid, Castor would be furious. No, that wasn't right. He wasn't afraid of Castor. Frau would never forgive himself. That kid was important to him. So important, and all this time he'd never noticed.

He arrived in time to see Teito falling limp onto the ground, his arm at a strange angle. Yukinami was standing over him, with a cold expression which only Ayanami could pull off. Without thinking, the bishop charged at the young sklave. There was a sudden movement, a flash of pain and Frau was lying on the ground, coughing up a thin trickle of blood which ran down his chin and fell onto the rain softened earth.

"Tell your allies that this fight is almost over. You won't win against the army. You won't win against me. Don't worry. I won't kill you. Today."

Then he was on his Hawkzile and gone, taking the unconscious boy with him.

"Kid," the man whispered into the ground. "Don't go off, without me." He stirred uselessly, trying to rouse some kind of movement from his body.

Mikage sat close, whimpering and shivering into the man's side. Frau shook violently and unable to hold back his feelings, he screamed to the clouds which rained mercilessly down on him, as if they were laughing at his misfortune.

* * *

**I'm so sorry, I suck at action scenes. Actually I suck at romance scenes too. And emotional scenes. As you can tell, I'm an amazingly versatile writer. *Sarcasm* I just happen to fail at life :P I got the idea for Yukinami working under Ayanami from the 'Begleiter Chapter'. Not sure if it ever happened or not but I needed someone to come and get Teito...**

**If you review, please list your favourite smells, I would like some ideas for the next (?) chapter :)**

**The sloth (Also known as Aiko Rin Sayuri to some)**


	5. The nameless

**Thank you to TheSnarkyAuthor, Kayori-chan, Ebi-sensei, Mei-chan and Yuu-chan. And of course thank you to everyone who reviewed!**

**This chapter is dedicated to any simile, pun or joke worth of Ebi-sensei. My current favourite has to be: "With a noise like a beached whale being stabbed with a spoon…"**

**(- - -)**

**Chapter five: The nameless**

**(- - -)**

Teito was woken by the sounds of dripping. He sat up slowly and was surprised to find himself in a dark room, roughly ten square meters in size and no windows. Remembering what had happened he began to worry. He was worried for Frau and Mikage. What if they were injured in the fight? What if they got killed? He'd argued with Frau before they'd been separated, what if Frau thought that he hated him.

There was a thick door set into one of the walls. He kicked it with as much venom as he could muster. "Let me out," he demanded. "I want to get out." He attacked the door when there was no reply. Zaiphon, punches and kicks followed one after the other, landing on the wood which groaned in complaint. "Let me out!" The shout echoed in the room, against the bare walls, reminding the boy of how alone he was. He shivered. Then, as if in reply to his demand, the door was pulled back by an armed guard.

"Stop making such a racket!" In all fairness, the man was tired. He was not particularly fond of his job and in his opinion, brats should not been seen or heard. So when this small addition to his prison had decided to make a racket at such an early time in the morning, he was understandably annoyed.

Peevishly he fumbled for his key, ready to close the door and lock it again.

He was not expecting an attack. It was a desperate move, but the sheer suddenness of it was all that was needed to send him flying into the opposite wall. The boy hovered near the entrance for a second before darting forwards and wrestling the mace from his hand. The guard opened his mouth in fear. This was no ordinary sklave. This was someone who had been given an assassin's training and was fully qualified for combat. It was his final thought before the boy swung the weapon and smashed his head.

Teito stood still for a second. He'd just killed another person. The blood dripping and trickling sluggishly towards the floor was testimony to that. But there was no time to think about that now. Already, he could hear the sounds of running towards him and he quickly positioned himself in a battle ready stance. Even if he was going down, he was prepared to take as many people down with him as possible.

"There he is! Escaped prisoner 2741! Don't let him escape!"

The sound of pounding footsteps and shouts echoed around the corridor. Teito waited, his heart pumping adrenaline filled blood around his body, his hands slick with sweat from holding the weapon. Waiting until the last possible moment, he swung the weapon, taking out an entire line of soldiers. Without hesitating, he turned to deal with the attackers which bore down behind him. There were groans and several of their comrades retched and recoiled in disgust as they were sprayed with warm blood.

Then, the soldiers all fell back. Teito tensed; there was someone arriving.

"What useless soldiers you all are, for not even being able to subdue a boy." The man's voice was familiar though Teito could not quite place a name to his voice. "Teito Klein, for months you have evaded us, but now, as your true master, I demand that you re-join us."

His eyes flickered in recognition; the name was on the tip of his tongue…

"Sleep," the man commanded and to his horror, Teito felt the collar around his neck compelling him to fall unconscious. Before he let himself go, he remembered the name.

_Miroku._

Then he let the darkness claim him.

(- - -)

Castor peered inconspicuously across at Labrador. They were in the middle of Mass and had their presences not been required, then Labrador would have remained hiding in his room. The other bishop was either staring at the congregation or had closed his eyes in prayer; the very image of a devout man. Castor had noted that the other man had very carefully avoided his eye and it upset him. He didn't know what to say if Labrador were to talk to him. He was annoyed, but mostly at himself. How many times had he told Frau off for not concentrating during the archbishop's sermon and now, he himself was distracted.

After what seemed like an age, the congregation rose and turned to exit through the doors. There was no pushing, no impatience; everyone simply waited their turn and filed out in an orderly line. How he wished that his feelings would be like that! But instead, they were alive and ready to kill in order to be released. The other bishops all turned and walked out of the room. For a moment, Castor let the peace from the sermon wash over him.

Finally, it was just him, Labrador and Archbishop Jio. Labrador was standing extremely still, with his eyes closed and his hands clasped in front of him as if in prayer. For a moment, Castor wondered if he had fallen asleep before his eyelids fluttered open.

"Bishop Labrador, did you see something?" Archbishop Jio closed the Bible he had been reading from and leaned slightly on the organ, at which Razette protested slightly.

Castor inwardly cursed himself for having not realised that his friend had been in the middle of a vision.

"I don't know… I think I saw a battle sklave fighting in an arena, but… What that has to do with anything, I don't know…"

Labrador sounded confused and a little frightened but Castor savoured the sound; he had not heard the other bishop speak since he'd tried to apologise and been completely ignored.

"Frau will be attacked," the statement came out, sounding extremely blunt, though unable to completely hide the layers of worry in it.

"Don't worry; Frau is an extremely capable fighter. I'm sure that nothing will happen to him or Teito-kun."

The irony of the statement was almost instantly apparent. The door was ripped open with so much force that Castor feared that it was broken. But his horror was nothing compared to what he felt when he saw who it was standing in the doorway.

"F-Frau! What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with Teito in-"

"Gone."

"What?" For a second, Castor thought that he'd misheard. Castor wished that he had misheard.

"The brat's gone, alright?" the words were growled out, desperation lining them. "Verloren's

Begleiter… He came…" Frau had begun to shake. At first Castor thought it was tears, but he felt a jolt of alarm when he realised that Frau was laughing. The blond bishop was almost in hysterics; from the day's happenings and from exhaustion.

"They've got him. And they're sure as heck not going to give him back."

(- - -)

He was woken by the clang of metal as it fell onto the cold stone floor. The guard stood near the doorway, looking rather nervous of this seemingly harmless prisoner. But then again, this was the person who'd been willing to murder a few people in order to escape.

"Prisoner 2741, Miroku-sama has requested that you must wear these during combat. You will fight in the battle sklave arena against other trained fighters under the name, 2741."

Teito leaned over the side of his bed and felt his stomach lurch at the sight of the weapons on the floor. The twin blades which he had wielded as a child lay on the floor, gleaming in the pale light which streamed through the open door.

"That is all, 2741."

The guard turned to leave. As he slid the lock back, he heard a voice behind him call out.

"Wait."

The guard glanced apprehensively over his shoulder.

"My name is not 2741. It's Teito. Teito Klein."

"Your name is no longer Teito Klein. From now on, you will yet again assume the identity of prisoner 2741, on Miroku-sama's orders. You are just another replaceable combat sklave."

The boy did not make a noise, nor did he shift in the slightest as the guard closed the door on the boy who was previously Teito Klein.

**(- - -)**

**The title name, well… Teito is supposed to forget his name when he becomes a sklave. And Teito's prisoner number IS 2741, I didn't make that up.**

**xox**


	6. Kill your heart and fight

**Thank you to my wonderful beta-reader who has stuck with this story for its sixth chapter. And to all the regulars.**

**Warnings: Spoilers (?) for Kapitel 31 and slight pair bashing (CastorxRazette). Gomenasai ^^**

**Dedicated to Kayori-chan who helped me discover my new attack: "The Glomp of Death".**

**Also many many thanks to the anonymous (?) reviewer: Frido. I hope you can log in soon ^^ I used your favourite smells.**

* * *

**Chapter six: Kill your heart and fight**

* * *

The boy, 2741, was ready for battle. His blades were at his side and he was breathing deeply. In and out. In and out. Once he was in the arena, there would be no time for calming tactics. Fighting and killing was what he was trained to do and was all he wanted to remember. There was a time before, of course, but he didn't want to think back to it, because it hurt. It hurt to remember.

Finally he was called. Like a machine, he rose and stepped into the arena. The sound of cheering coming from the crowd was slightly muffled by the zaiphon proof barrier but it quickened the rate of his heartbeat. He was going to fight someone. He was going to kill someone. And they were _happy_. They were monsters and they made him feel sick.

It had been a while since he had launched an unprovoked attack on anyone. He'd gone away for a bit and there he had learned that killing was bad. He liked the people there. Respected them, loved them. It was the first time he remembered feeling an attachment to anyone. When they had failed to save his best friend he wasn't angry at them. He was sad but he'd recovered. But it hurt to think. It hurt to remember. His chest hurt even though there was not an injury there.

The pain was forgotten as the other sklave was led through the gate. They stared at each other, the man mountain and the little child, each as unwilling to make the first move. There was a click as the gates closed and the signal was given for the fight to begin.

2741 closed his eyes, not wanting to look at his victim. The man lunged forwards, swinging his sword clumsily. It was a wild movement which the boy was able to avoid easily. He let the man run at him, listening to only his own harsh breathing and the fear coursing through his veins. His arms extended and he flicked his wrist in an almost undetectable way. Blood splattered the ground as the man fell to his knees with a grunt, hand pressed down on the rip in his chest. A second flick ended his life.

Like someone had flicked a switch, all the sound came back. The cheering of the crowd and the announcement, making him a winner.

"The victor is 2741!"

But he didn't want to listen. He didn't want to celebrate. He'd killed someone. The world spun. He felt like he was going to be sick. He curled up on the ground, lying half in the blood, struggling to steady his breathing and block out the sounds of the bloodthirsty audience. Someone pulled him up roughly by the arm and began to drag him out of the arena. He didn't know who it was and he felt too sick to see.

Once he was out of the arena, he began to fight. He was going to be sick. There were shouts of alarm as he twisted his arm free and he began to run. But he wasn't running away, only to the bathroom where he vomited, again and again into the pristine washbasin. There wasn't anywhere he could run to anyway. The blood on his hands was testimony to the murder he'd just committed.

He reached out with bloodstained hands, shaking hands, and turned on the tap to rinse the bile away. Then he filled up the sink and plunged his face into it so that his tears wouldn't leave a mark. He stayed in the water until he couldn't breathe. Maybe he could drown himself. That would be an easy way out.

But he knew he couldn't die yet. He just had to last a little longer until… Until…

He lifted his head for a quick breath before submerging himself again; the water blocking out all

sounds until he focused on himself completely, chanting the mantra he'd been clinging to.

_Kill your heart and fight._

_Kill your heart._

_And fight._

The next time he looked at himself in the mirror, he saw an expressionless boy. Teito Klein was dead. There was only the nameless boy, 2741, in his place.

* * *

The church was unusually quiet for once, due to the fact that Bishop Frau had retreated to his room with complaints of a headache. Hakuren was unsure of whether this was truly the case or not. Bishop Labrador had disappeared into his garden again, to converse with the flowers, Hakuren thought. Bishop Castor was gloomily sewing something by the water fountain, talking to Razette in a hushed voice. He had not seen Teito but the three bishops insisted that he was alright.

Frau had tried numerous times to distract himself from the loss of Teito by various methods, but the porn magazines weren't fun to read anymore when there wasn't danger of an annoyed boy finding him and kicking him in the face. Flirting with the nuns had lost its appeal when he remembered last time Frau had flirted with the boy, he'd been extremely upset and stormed into the rain eventually leading to his capture. Heck, even playing pranks on Castor didn't work, partly because Castor's reactions were too similar to Teito's.

Then he remembered that after Teito had fallen from the balcony, he'd placed a porn magazine in one of the boy's books, hoping to get the boy to read it by catching him off guard. Frau rolled off his bed, where he had been moping for the past three days, and yanked open the door. The corridor was deserted and so it gave him an opportunity to sneak into Teito's room. The room was relatively new, the occupant had only recently moved in, but there were things which clearly defined the room as Teito's.

The stack of books all around the room and the pink hairs from a Fyulong, just to name a few. The magazine in question had been thrown onto the ground carelessly, as if in rage, the book it had been concealed in open at the page and lying on the bed. Frau picked up the magazine and turned to leave but something held him back. This room; it was Teito's.

He closed the book on the bed, smirking slightly at the professional sounding title; Teito had always liked to challenge himself when it came to academic matters. The bed was unexpectedly warm, and Frau reveled in it as he lay on his side, breathing in the scent of the pillow; the scent of Teito. An interesting mixture of ink and leather.

He somehow ended up hugging the pillow to his chest and inhaling deeply. It felt good, like he was hugging the boy himself. And he wished he could but Teito had long been taken to the military fort.

But he promised himself that he would go and look for him. That he would go and rescue Teito and make everything alright.

* * *

She loved to sing to Castor. Ever since he'd rescued her so many years ago from the cage holding her captive. Castor was the first friend she remembered; of course, there were lingering memories of her family who'd once swum with her in the oceans. He'd given her a name; Razette, he'd called her and she loved to hear him call it. But Castor was nothing more than a friend to her and now she was worried about him. She tugged anxiously at his sleeve, a questioning gaze upon her face.

"I'm alright Razette, just a bit confused." She looked at him, rather skeptically, asking for more details. He sighed exasperatedly. "Labrador's acting weird; I don't know what he thinks of me, I don't think he wants to talk to me anymore. And I'm scared." By now, his voice was shaking slightly. "I'm scared that he'll hate me."

Razette sung a few notes, sadly, hating that her friend was upset. She hugged his arm, reassuring him.

Castor leaned down and placed his forehead to hers, smiling. "Thank you, Razette, for being a great friend to me." To anyone passing by, they appeared to be kissing.

Neither of them noticed the flowers which whispered and grew to tell their human friend.

* * *

**Sorry, due to my weirdness, procrastinating nature and mountain of overdue homework, I will be going on a *tiny* break. You probably won't even notice it ^^**


	7. Light

**Thank you to TheSnarkyAuthor and all my friends.**

**You have been truly amazing and inspirational in the writing of this story and every day you make my life that much better! Also, please, someone tell me that they were NOT happy with the way the manga ended?**

* * *

**Chapter seven: Light**

* * *

The routine was the same every day, monotonous, unchanging. Prisoner 2741 was woken early in the morning and led through the maze of corridors. Pushed into the arena. Forced to fight other prisoners over and over again.

The crowd loved him; he was undefeated, an invincible champion. After the first day, everything had gone smoothly. He no longer felt sick as each victim collapsed into the yellow sand, staining it red with blood and though he did not relish it as others obviously did, he accepted it as part of his life.

Some nights he had a dream about a church. There were people there and they were nice to him, and although he felt as if ought to know their names, he did not. They called him something, it seemed to be a name, and they looked at him as if he were important to them.

"_Who_ _are you?_" he would ask. But they would only smile and call to him again. Then he would suddenly fall, as if the ground had given away, and all that was left was darkness. The smiles and brightness would all disappear.

Those were not good nights and he had learned to wake up when the dreams entered his unconscious mind.

The boy did not feel any attachment to the people around him. They fed him and treated him well, though he was never offered a kind word, a friendly gesture or an appreciative look. He didn't care, such things were no longer important. The slave collar around his neck didn't bother him much anymore either.

There was a time when it _did _annoy him, though he had long forgotten why or when it had happened. He didn't even know if it had happened anymore. The colours of his memories had faded slowly away, like a photograph left in the sun, crumbling. Sometimes he tried to remember, but it was too painful and besides, faded photographs are too hard to make out details from.

He no longer awoke, screaming in the night; after the first few nights, he learned that it did no good and that no one cared anyway. Before someone had cared. Someone had always been with him. But it did no good to think about the past, it only made his current situation seem worse. Better to forget about the past and pretend that the present was good.

He lay down on his bed and went to sleep.

* * *

Frau woke with a start. His arms were still locked around the pillow which he crushed to his chest. Slowly, he slid off the bed and walked towards the window, gazing at nothing in particular.

The flowers were beautiful; flourishing everywhere and the midst of it all, stood a familiar purple haired bishop. Labrador was still, hands out in front of him with palms up, various plants and flowers trailing around him. He had his back to the window, but Frau could tell from his body language that the other bishop was upset.

He worried for what was to come; the relationship between Castor and Labrador had become increasingly brittle throughout the past few days; Castor was especially moody and he himself was not in the best of moods. All three of them had done nothing productive. Ever since Teito had left, it had been as if a cloud hung over the church, rendering the inhabitants to helpless, bickering _children _squabbling over the smallest things.

And there was nothing any of them could do about it. Teito was in District one and they were in District seven. He kneaded his forehead angrily, trying to think of a plan, _any _plan which would allow him to bring Teito home. He couldn't remember the last time he'd been so desperate for something to happen. Or when he'd been so angry and frustrated at himself for not being able to do a thing.

It was like when he was younger; when the Sky Pirates had been annihilated. As if the Empire had killed his friends and deliberately spared him, as if to say: "_Look how we can kill your friends and destroy your life, and you can't do a thing about it." _He'd wanted revenge; every day it was all he thought about.

Labrador looked up suddenly, directly at Frau, his piercing gaze snapping the younger man out of his reverie. He smiled and motioned for Frau to go down and join him. Without hesitating, Frau wrenched open the window and stepped out, falling neatly onto the ground.

"Normal people would have used the door," smiled Labrador, not surprised at all.

"And since when was I 'normal people'?"

"Very true," Labrador agreed. They stood there in silence for a while. The sun felt nice on their cold bodies, filling them with long forgotten warmth. "This might be a bad time, Frau, but I would like to ask you a question." He paused for a moment, gauging Frau's reaction carefully. "What are your true feelings towards Teito-kun?"

Frau froze, his whole body going rigid.

"You don't have to answer if you don't want to, I just-"

"I like him." The words came out of Frau's mouth, unbidden. To his surprise, he found himself continuing. "At first, I saw him only as another child, albeit one who required special attention, who had come to the church for protection. However, as time went on, I realised, that he was important to me."

Labrador only smiled and looked on, listening to every word.

"I love him, Labrador. And it hurts for him to be so away from me! I- I want him back."

There was complete silence, and Frau replayed his previous words in his head, cringing at the cheesiness of them. Since when had he, Frau, king of mischief and the man with a thousand girls, grown to become such a romantic? And towards a short, skinny brat of all people!

"Labrador, Teito is my light. Without him, I would have long lost control of Verloren's scythe and we'd probably all be dead by now. I don't care what this costs me, I'm bringing him back."

The other bishop smiled. "I'm glad you feel that way. You see, Castor has a plan and it's going to be dangerous."

* * *

It was _that _dream again. 2741 could tell from the moment the church appeared, like so many times, its many towers gleamed in the sun and cries of happiness came from within the courtyard.

_Wake up._

He waited for the church to fade from his dream. When nothing happened, he repeated the command to his subconscious again.

_Wake up._

Still, there was no response; the church remained in front of him. Then a hand descended onto his shoulder, making him jump.

"Hey, brat."

It was _him _again. Every single time, _he _was always the one to find him, the first to speak to him and the first to make him want to smile.

"Who are you?"

The man looked confused for a moment. "Don't you remember who I am?"

2741 slowly shook his head.

"My name is-"

As before and every other time, the name was obscured.

"I can't hear you."

"My name is-!" The man shouted his name, but still, the boy could not hear the name. The man held out a hand towards the boy. "Take my hand, and you'll remember!"

For the first time in all the dreams, 2741 reached for the man's hand.

"My name is Frau."

He woke with a start.

"Frau." He said.

* * *

**Sorry for the shortness. I had writers block. Like major writer's block. To the extent where I ended up typing around a word a day. And I poisoned myself.**

**Aiko Rin Sayuri x**


	8. Infiltration

**Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so glad you waited! And you owe everything to my beta-reader. And the reviewers of course!**

**I've been busy losing weight… It's what teenage girls tend to do when they take home their school photo and the first thing their mother says when they see it is: "Haha, you look fat." **

**FOUR KILOS IN FOUR WEEKS. HELL YES!**

* * *

**Chapter eight: Infiltration**

* * *

The corridor was empty and dark, for which he was grateful. Teito Klein had never felt so alive. After days of telling himself that it would be better if he forgot, it was truly amazing to remember those who cared about him.

It had all come back to him after the dream. About the church, his comrades and his friends. He also remembered why it was easier to have buried those memories. He could no longer comprehend how it was possible to live as a battle sklave after he had experienced such kindness at the hands of the church.

But in order to leave this life behind, he would have to kill just one more person. The one who was responsible for forcing him to live like this: Miroku. If he could just kill that person, then he would be free. Free of the collar around his neck, free of the life he was being forced to live and best of all free to go back to the church he loved.

It had been quite easy to escape from his cell once he put his mind to it. Silently, he had dispatched the guards outside. He had felt some guilt when he was done. They had not treated him too badly. Miroku had taught him how to be an assassin; now it was time to show his 'master' his true capabilities.

His footsteps were inaudible and he froze at every sound he picked up. Swiftly, he made his way out of the slave quarters and stopped abruptly when the floor under his feet turned from polished floorboard to thick carpet.

The question was: now what? It was all very well, having made his escape from the cells, determined to murder Miroku in his sleep. But how was he going to tell which room was occupied by that person? Before he could think everything through properly, a hand fell upon his shoulder, holding him so that he could not run.

"And where do you think you're going, hmm? 2741?"

Ayanami's face was, as ever, a blank slate, but a sneer could be heard in the voice. Teito froze, cursing himself for how mindlessly terrified he was of the other soldier.

"That is not my name."

He was surprised when he found that his voice was completely level, with no hint of any emotion in it.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I meant Wahrheit Tiashe Raggs."

The sound of the other man speaking his name in such a mocking voice made Teito angry enough to wrench his shoulder from Ayanami's iron grasp.

"You- You still dare to say that name, even though you were the one to betray the Kingdom of Raggs and kill your own family!"

Teito sent a wild zaiphon attack towards Ayanami, missing by several inches. The explosion caused several doors to be pulled open, the occupants clearly angered at being disturbed from their sleep or their nightly work. Ayanami calmly extended a hand towards Teito and a flood of zaiphon flowed into the air, an angry, red string of words. They encircled the boy, but before they could bind him, he quickly neutralised it with his own brand of blue zaiphon. Whilst the boy was distracted, Ayanami moved right behind him, catching hold of him.

"It's a pity that you happen to be Miroku's favourite pet; but I can assure you that it won't last for much longer; and when he tires of you, I'll be waiting."

He allowed the promise to hang ominously for a moment, before sending his fist plummeting into Teito's stomach, rendering him instantly unconscious. Yes, Teito would make a very interesting pet.

* * *

"Will this really be alright?" Frau grumbled as he pulled on the standard military uniform. "What happens if they ask for identity confirmation? What if there is security which we can't breach? What if-"

"Will you stop your incessant griping, already? I didn't see you coming up with a better plan and this is so we can save your crush." Castor threw Frau a sour look.

"I could have thought of a better plan than this, any day, four eyes."

"Really? Then how come we're not using that plan?"

"Would you two please stop arguing?"

The two of them threw each other one last glare before turning their attention to their fellow bishop.

Labrador was dressed in clothes made of very fine materials, as expected to be worn by a noble. The colour complimented his hair and eyes. The material hugged his body closely, bringing out his next to non-existent curves. A hat perched jauntily on his curly hair and the image was completed by the shoes which the man wore. High heeled ones which caused the bishop to take careful steps in order to stop himself from falling, like a newborn animal.

Frau stared and then tried (unsuccessfully) to stop himself from laughing. Labrador was dressed as a woman. Again. Labrador shot an uncharacteristically annoyed look in the other bishop's direction.

"Thank you for that, Frau."

"Don't listen to him, Labrador. I think you look beautiful." The moment the words came out of his mouth, Castor wished that he could take them back. Labrador looked down, blushing. To their immense relief, Frau snapped on his glove and adjusted his collar with a flick.

"Done," he said.

"Now remember the plan. Frau, you are a regular officer of the Imperial Army. I am a noble of the Barsburg Empire. Labrador is a lady of high class, also of the Barsburg Empire. It is highly likely that Teito-kun would have been taken to the slave quarters and is currently being forced to fight in the arena. And therefore we must-"

Frau stood up. "Don't sweat on it. I won't be reckless." He flinched internally as he realised that those were Teito's last words to him.

"OK, then let's go. Be careful with your coat. It's heated and will only last for a few hours so don't use it unless absolutely necessary." Castor held out his hand towards Labrador. "May I?"

Labrador smiled before taking it. "Thanks."

* * *

Teito woke up to the sound of a pen scratching a few metres away from him. The sound was unexpected and he was wary, even before he opened his eyes. He decided to play dead for just a bit longer as he explored his surroundings using his other senses only.

About ten metres away, at two o'clock to his head, someone was writing on a sheet of paper. That was what the scratching sound was coming from. There was no echo and so Teito assumed that the room was fairly luxurious. He was lying on something soft and long with a back; probably a couch of some description.

The pen stopped moving.

"You can stop pretending to be asleep now." Teito opened his eyes at the voice and sat up to see Miroku peering down at him from his desk. The chairman got up and crossed the room to the coffee table in front of the couch. "You know, that is the reason you're the best student I have ever taught." He poured himself a cup of tea from the pot. "Tea?" he offered.

"No thank you," Teito muttered.

Undeterred, the man poured himself some tea; Teito was forcibly reminded of all the times Labrador-san had made him a drink and he closed his eyes as a wave of homesickness washed over him.

"I was genuinely quite worried when you went missing a few months ago," the man continued. "You're like a son to me, Teito, I've taught you everything I know and I'd like to hear your side of the story before deciding on the outcome. Now, have you got anything to say about what happened last night?"

Teito swallowed nervously before raising his head to look the man in the eye. "I don't, Chairman Miroku. I broke out of my cell to assassinate you and if I had the chance I would do it again."

"I see. Then you understand that the consequence of your actions will be death."

"Yes,sir," the final word contained sarcasm, which was not lost on the older man.

"You will be sentenced to fight until you die, tomorrow. Your fans may as well have some enjoyment out of your death," he said bitterly.

* * *

"Calm down, Frau, worrying isn't going to help Teito-kun."

"Yeah…" Still the man remained tensed up, knuckles clenched around the handrail. They were quite high up, looking down into the arena. People pressed against them, and as far as Frau could see, every tier of the stadium was crammed. Labrador was examining the protective shield which lay over the pit, like a glass bowl put over the ground, trapping the sklaves inside.

"It's zaiphon-resistant," he said. "From both sides. Which means that either the sklaves are able to use zaiphon or they expect zaiphon users to be able to break through and make contact with the sklaves."

"Well that certainly makes our job a bit harder for us."

They were cut off by an announcement.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we are sorry to keep you waiting, but the programme for today has been changed. Instead, today we will be watching the public execution of Prisoner 2741, a favourite."

A figure was thrown into the arena, landing hard in the sand. Frau was struck by how small the boy was and how proud he looked despite being sentenced to death. He didn't need Castor's gasp or Labrador's shocked expression to tell him who it was.

Teito Klein.

* * *

**No promises for a happy ending, guys. You'll have to see what mood I'm in while I'm writing it… So don't assume that everything will be alright with cheesecake and marshmallows at the end!**

_*** Cheesecake and marshmallows?***_

**Hey? What's wrong with cheesecake and marshmallows?**

**On another brighter (?) note I am pleased to declare that I am not the only one to have my heart ripped out and stomped on by the final chapter of 07 Ghost :)**


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